Page 138 of In Love and Revenge

‘I have access to every staff member’s log-in. It didn’t take much to remove Ella’s details as the last one who accessed the company account. I didn’t know George Thorne was the last one before her, I didn’t—’

‘You didn’t bloody think! Or care! You just wanted to cover your own arse.’ I grip my hips, breathing heavily, sinking my fingers into the fabric of my trousers so I don’t stride back across the kitchen and murder Dom with my bare hands.

‘The guy’s going to get out on appeal soon. The evidence was flimsy at best. He’ll be back living his life like none of this ever happened,’ Dom argues. ‘And you’ll get your money back once the insurance pays out. Bet you’re glad Fairfax Guardian aren’t the ones who cover us,’ he adds, attempting a stab at heinously inappropriate humour.

I shake my head in disgust. ‘To think I used to look up to you.’

He holds a hand up. ‘Listen, Rafe. This stays between us. You know my secrets, and I know yours.’

‘Are you threatening me?’ I snarl.

‘Just reminding you of the facts. We’ve been friends for years. We’ve always had each other’s backs. After losing Wyndham, I helped you land other clients. Helped bridge the void you’d have been left in without them.’

‘For which I’m grateful, you know that.’

He eyes me warily. ‘I know. And I’d also be grateful if this stayed between us. Plus, there’s that other thing Aurora doesn’t know about. She told me George Thorne’s her father.’

I advance on him again and he throws his hands up in front of his chest.

‘Relax. I’m just saying.’

‘You’re notjustanything!’ I hiss.

‘My lips are sealed. But I’d have thought you wiser than to get involved with his daughter.’

I suck in a sharp breath. I can barely stand to look at him. But he’s right. He’s bloody right. I have no business starting a life with Aurora until she knows everything. Not just about my accident and how screwed up I am.

Buteverything.

‘I’m going to tell her,’ I grit.

Dom chuckles. ‘Sure. Let me know how that goes. But take it from me, the last woman I upset stole millions from the company I’m on the board for, and disappeared without so much as a “fuck you”.’

‘Aurora’s not like that. I haven’t been lying to her and leading her on.’ But even as I say the words, I wince. Because it’s exactly what I’ve been doing. It started as revenge, spending time with her to find out where my money went. Then it became obsession. And then it turned to love. I can’t imagine even being able to breathe without her, nor wanting to.

Dom sighs like he feels sorry for me. ‘Ella was in love with me too. Or so she said. Now she’s gone. And she took my baby with her. I don’t even know if I have a son or a daughter.’

The sudden emotion brimming in his eyes has a niggle of empathy twisting in my chest. But what Dom knew about the money ... and how it’s affected Aurora ... what it led to me doing that she still doesn’t know about ...

‘And the sexual harassment email? Why not just delete it?’ I ask.

Dom shifts uneasily, his hands curling around the countertop either side of his hips.

‘Dom?’ I bark. ‘You son of a bitch!’ I snarl. ‘You changed it from your name to George Thorne’s. Why?’

‘Ah, that happened before ... She told me she’d written an email to send to HR. I think she wanted to have something over me. Well, I couldn’t delete it while she was still here; she’d have realised I had access to her account. So, I just changed the name.’ Dom looks away. ‘But then she was gone. And so was the money. And with all that going on, I forgot about going back to get rid of it.’ His voice cracks. ‘Rafe, you don’t understand. She was so angry, saying I’d used her, that I’d lied to her. But I never lied. She knew I was married. I might have told her I loved her. I mean, I did love her. But, look, I didn’t know it was George fucking Thorne who was the last one to access the account. I mean, what are the chances?’

‘Pretty fucking high if they’re working on the same client together! Jesus! With that and the email, you put the nail in the damn coffin. Because they didn’t brush it off, did they?’ I yell, fighting the voice in my head that’s telling me to go and wring his stupid, lying, cheating neck. ‘They convicted him. The guy’s in bloody prison!’

‘I know!’ Dom shouts back. ‘Don’t you think I know? I don’t think Ella even knew him. The client they started working on together wasn’t brought up at the last board meeting, and Ella never mentioned it. But their client ... it was a big one. They both had access to a lot of information, and a lot of money, Rafe.A lot of bloody money.’

‘Jesus,’ I utter, pinching the bridge of my nose. George Thorne took the fall for something he didn’t do. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

‘I even thought maybe it was him to start with, until I realised Ella had disappeared. I’d never have put his name in that email if I’d known what she was going to do, I swear.’

‘What would you have done? Put some other poor bastard’s instead?’ I snort.

I shake my head as Dom stares back at me, his expression heavy with guilt. It’s exactly what he would have done. No matter what, Dominic was always going to make sure he came out of all of this shit without scars. He’s pathetic. The man I idolised and considered a father figure is a ruthless piece of shit who only cares about saving his own skin.